Water is the source of life and without transporting water, many ancient civilizations would’ve crumbled long ago. When it comes to industrial environment and water and valve applications in water, many cities use wastewater treatment plants and water filtration applications to clean and recycle water to be fit for consumption. That means that water that comes out of your tap, goes into your beer, cleans your car and jets out of your showerhead has to come from somewhere — whether that’s from a lake, river system, or aquafers bringing up groundwater.
When water companies pump water from the ground or lakes and rivers, it has to go through a treatment and filtration process. Here are some of the other applications of this process:
- Water and sewer treatment facilities
- Desalination plants
- Reservoir and dam facilities
- Stormwater systems
- Storage and distribution systems
- Manufacturing process water treatment
- Pump stations
In any of these applications, the water must be screened to take out large objects, like fish and debris, then treated and filtered through layers of carbon, sand, and gravel. Because of this process, it’s important for water companies to control the flow of water in a system. Valves help control this by restricting or freeing the flow of water as it goes through pipes.
Other Valve Applications in Water
Companies and organizations not dealing with water for public drinking use valves in industrial environment and water applications. Agricultural companies, pharmaceutical companies, food and beverage companies, and boilers use valve applications for water flow control. In many cases, purified water is needed in order to produce consumables for the public, to ensure minimal corrosion of equipment and — in the case of pharmaceutical companies — to have water that is safer than public drinking water. There are a few different types of valves that are used in these cases, including:
Solenoid valves: these valves use a plunger to open and close a hole that either restricts or allows the flow of water. It’s powered by an electromagnetic field.
Ball and butterfly valves: ball and butterfly valves are operated manually with a plunger, although some can be controlled electrically. Depending on the orientation of the ball — turned by the butterfly, a thin disk — it prevents or allows the flow of water.
Automatic shut off valves: like the name suggests, automatic shut off valves open and close based on the pressure of the water flowing through it. It operates manually, needing no electricity.
Check valves: a spring-operated valve, a check valve is one-way, so any water flowing in the wrong direction will close the valve, thus “checking” the system.
Float valves: these valves are used in tanks to shut off the flow of water when the tank is filled to a certain point. When the water level lowers, it will open again to allow the flow of water.
Contact The Blythe Company for Valve Applications in Water and Environment
Because water is such a critical component in manufacturing and public health and safety, your company needs a trusted partner in testing materials like valves, regulators, and filters. The Blythe Company provides testing and training for industrial companies like yours to ensure problem valve maintenance in water applications. Contact The Blythe Company today to learn more about our testing and training services.
